RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of high blood pressure (PHBP) and its association with age, sex, socioeconomic status (SES), and body mass index (BMI = kg/m2). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 1996, in a random sample of 356 adults aged 20 and older, residents of Bucaramanga, Colombia. Weight, height, and blood pressure readings were obtained, plus data on age and gender. Robust linear and log-binomial regression was used to estimate the independent effect of different risk factors on systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure and HBP. RESULTS: Mean SBP and DBP were significantly higher in men (122.5 and 88.1 mmHg) than in women (117.2 and 75.4 mmHg). The adjusted SBP increased with age, more in men than in women; DBP did not change with age. For each unit increase in BMI, SBP and DBP increased 0.76 and 0.69 mmHg, respectively. SBP was 6.8 and DBP was 9.8 mmHg higher in low-SES than in high-SES subjects. The adjusted PHBP increased with age and was higher in subjects > or = 50 years than in those 20-30 years old. Sex had no significant effect on PHBP (p = 0.795). For each unit increase in BMI the PHBP increased 3, and low-SES subjects had a PHBP 1.84 times higher than high-SES subjects. CONCLUSIONS: A high PHBP was found. There is a great potential for prevention by weight control. Further studies are needed to confirm the increasing PHBP in low-SES subjects and to identify its causes.